Just a Matter of Time
by Vampykitty-kun
Summary: Post EW: When unforeseen circumstances arise, and Heero looses his memory, will Relena be able to step up to the plate? And amidst all the chaos, will she be able to resist the advances of one clearly confused Heero Yuy?
1. Chapter 1

Well... I've been in much more of a Gundam mood then a Gravitation mood as of lately, and since I'm busy revising my main Gravi fic, I started this wonderful thing, lol.

Hope this one will go far.

**Pairings:**

_**MAIN:**_ 1xR,

_**OTHERS:**_ 2xH, 3x11, 4xD, 5xS, 6x9

**Rated:** M - Language, and possible sexual situations.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own GW, never have, never will, and can't remember who actually DOES own it...

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**CHAPTER 1-** It's Over: _Relena POV_

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It was over, at last...

The complex had finally stopped vibrating with the aftershocks of the explosion. The soldiers of the Mariemaia army swarmed about us in a frenzy over the fallen girl, and the murdered Dekim. Lady Une sat feet away, clutching the sleeping child desperately, pressing firmly against her wounds, willing the blood-flow to cease.

I sat still upon the floor, Heero pulled tightly to my person, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply. I could only hope that the others would arrive soon. It was uncertain how long Mariemaia could hold out without necessary medical attention, and I was no doctor... but Wing Zero had exploded in the backlash of the overheated beam rifle, and Heero was clearly worse for wear, and had never looked so helpless, laying there in my lap. For all I knew, he could be bleeding out internally, and there was nothing I could possibly do about it on my own. The thought was nerve wracking, that even after all that had occurred on this dreary night, that neither might make it to the next morning.

Several soldiers surrounded us, voicing their apologies to Lady Une and myself, and there was nothing to do but forgive them. Many seemed touched, relieved that Lady Une had appeared, and voiced their allegiance to the woman right on the spot. My heart went our to her as tears flowed freely down her face at their proclamations.

Even as out of the loop as I was at times, it was obvious that Lady Une knew more of what Treize's goals in life were, rather than this Dekim Barton had. This whole plot had been nothing but Treize's words fabricated and elaborated on, and it was obvious that it had upset the woman, and gone straight to heart, that they were daring to tarnish the man's name further with this mess. Although my experience with Treize Khushrenada had been brief, he was hardly the monster that the history books would make him out to be... and it was a right shame...

I jolted from my thoughts at once, as a low rumble slowly grew louder and louder as it closed in on us from above. I smiled warmly at the ceiling, knowing that it could only be help arriving at last. I could only hope, pray, that our personal clutch of soldiers had suffered no casualties... I couldn't bare to think that one of my of our comrades, our friends, had perished simply because I was too foolish and trusting for my own good, leading myself to be abducted.

It was several long, drawn out, minutes spent in silence before signs of outside life reached us. A roaring screech filled the large chamber, reverberating from just outside the double doors. An electric saw of sorts was my only guess. Soon, a draft of light could finally be seen from beneath the doors, and within moments, both doors flew open, and several Preventors shot into the darkened chamber, coating every inch of the room. The Mariemaia soldiers had long since abandoned their weapons, and the newly entered men seemed at a loss for what to do, and looked to Lady Une for guidance.

"All is well...it's over. Dekim is dead, one of these fine young men took him out before the damage could be done. They pose no threat. As soon as Dekim hit the floor, they fell apart. Most of the men here worked under me for a time... and I suspect we'll have to open up registration for them, once they've all been cleared." she sighed heavily, and shifted herself beneath Mariemaia.

The soldiers, previously my captors, shot her many looks of thanks. Several of the younger men even began to cry, thankful that they would be spared. Many seemed no older than myself... and not everyone was as mature at such a young age as the pilots, and myself

It was then, that Milliardo, my brother, bolted into the room, flitting his eyes about the room wildly. It was against my will that the water works started... I could not even tell you when they had begun, but my chest tightened, and my throat burned. My brother, my only family, was alive... dead once before, but alive again now... and I couldn't care less about why or how it came to be.

"Relena!" He rasped, running to my side.

I gazed up at him lovingly through my tears, and he heaved a great sigh of relief as he realized I was truly unharmed. When his gaze fell upon the man in my lap however, his look became strained.

Sally and Ms. Noin were next to arrive, immediately diving at Lady Une and the fallen child. She had not woken, and had been gradually losing more and more blood... I could only hope that she was able to be saved, after all... had it not been for her, I would be the one bleeding out upon the cold hard floor.

"This is the infamous Mariemaia Khushrenada, huh? Noin muttered, glaring down at the child in the woman's arms.

Zechs turned his own gaze toward the woman, watching as she looked Lady Une over. It must seem odd the two women that previously hated one another were now so close. Sally only sighed, and crouched at the woman's side.

"You mustn't put all the blame on her... she hardly knew just what she was doing." I protested, casting a weary glance at the group of women. "she came to her senses at the last moment, realized that she was being used. If she hadn't dove in front of me, that bullet would have gone through me. Who knows what state you would have found me in. We should be thanking her, and trying to save her rather than sitting around blaming a 'would be war' on a mere seven year old!" I snapped, my emotions getting the best of me.

Poor Ms. Noin flinched, and shot me an apologetic, but weak smile as Sally went to work on Mariemaia. Taking a bullet for me, the woman she had kidnaped, seemed to redeem her in the eyes of others... not just her own soldiers, but our own.

My brother seemed to hold the child in a brand new light. At the very least, he's capable of forgiveness it seems... so the real him is still in there somewhere. Perhaps his year-long absence was used wisely, giving himself time to dwell on his decisions. Clearly, he'd chosen to be on the right side once again. I couldn't help but be relieved. He'd left this world in a fury of warped ideals and only slipping grasp of sanity. He seemed well recovered, given the circumstances.

"The bullet grazed her spinal cord when it exited... if she recovers, she may never walk again..." My head snapped from Milliardo to Sally at this announcement, and I felt a wave of dread wash over me.

'_That could have been me.._.'

The thought of being paralyzed was terrifying...I made a mental note to make it up to the child, no matter what it took. I'd pay for the best doctors available if- no, she WOULD make it... Sally would see to that...

I ran a hand through Heero's tangled locks and sighed.

He was still breathing heavily, and showed no signs of waking.

"Is everything alright down here!" A voice rang out from down the hall.

Several sets of rapidly approaching footsteps could be heard as debris was kicked across the ground. All at once, three of the remaining four Gundam Pilots arrived, out of breath and worse for wear, but all still in one piece.

"Where's Relena! She alright? We've been worried sick since her transmission was cut off!" Duo panted, bracing himself with his hands on knees. "And Heero too! Wing Zero's been blown to bits right out side! The cockpit was intact, but he was no where in sight, did he make it down here?" The man asked, looking around in panic, as no one seemed to respond to his questions.

Quatre stared down sadly at Mariemaia as Sally shifted her into Noin's arms, and Une shakily rose to her feet. Dorothy, who I hadn't seen in ages, slipped in behind them and watched them handle the girl with curiosity.

"So this is my cousin's daughter..." She murmured.

I sighed, relieved that they were all, for the most part, well. Wufei's absence was unnerving, but it was foolish to think that they'd not separated during battle. I had seen the vast numbers of mobile suits that the army was in possession of...

"I'm fine Duo, just a little shaken up." All at once, the pilots, and Dorothy turned towards me, relief spreading across their faces..that is, until Duo managed to notice just what was in my lap.

His face fell, and his eyes widened, staring down at the motionless Heero Yuy. He gulped down his next breath, and slowly stepped towards me. The others just stared in disbelief. No one, save Trowa, had ever seen the man totally wiped out and defeated.

"He- He's not...?" The braided man choked out, stopping just feet away from us.

I managed a weak smile, and shook my head.

"Of course not...he's just exhausted, and pretty roughed up, to say the least..." I watched as he slumped in relief, and sank to his knees.

It was no secret. Duo had always been closest to Heero out of all the pilots, even thought that really wasn't saying much. Heero still kept his distance, even from his own friends. It was sad, if you really thought about it. Over the last year, Duo, out of the kindness of his own heart, sent me periodic updates on him and Heero whenever he could. This I'd been so very grateful for... after all, who really knew at that point if I'd ever see any of them again? Other than Quatre, none of them were in my line of work.

"Here... give her to me.. You'll never get back over the rubble with her occupying your arms..." Trowa smiled softly, stretching, as he stepped over to the women. They smiled, and Lady Une voiced her thanks as he lifted the small child into his arms.

It seemed fitting really... although Trowa Barton had turned out to not really be THE Trowa Barton, something I'd not been made aware of until the recent events, he still seemed connected to the little girl in a way. Sally and Ms. Noin both seemed grateful for his offer, and followed him back through the double doors. Hopefully they would get her the help she needed quickly now.

"As much as I hate to do this Princess, now that I've gotten over my minor heart attack, I had better take him. Who knows what that explosion and the crash landing did to him. He's a tough guy, but he's only human... much as he'd hate to admit it..." he grumbled jokingly, before scooting to my side, and shifting Heero into his arms.

Reluctantly, I let him go, and watched as Duo slowly rose to his feet with Heero slung over his shoulder. Quatre, who had always been the proper gentlemen, was immediately at my side, helping me to my own feet.

"I know you must be exhausted from this whole ordeal... but I'm afraid that you've got your work cut out for you. The building is shot... the frame is crumbling, and the stairwells are in pieces, but we need to get to the roof. I'll assist you as much as possible, but it's still going to require quite a bit of climbing. I'm sorry..." he murmured, leading me from the room, not ten feet behind Duo and Heero.

It was immediately apparent that he hadn't been joking in the slightest. It looked as though each hallway had been bombed, and I realized that this night was still far from over.

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Short chapter one, but we shall deal.

Hope to have chapter 2 posted shortly!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, yay!

Got this one done pretty quickly, considering how many fics I'm working on at once, lol.

Let me know what you think.

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Relena POV

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It had been a long, arduous task getting out of the bunker... Quatre had indeed been truthful when describing the obstacles ahead. Many of the stairwells had collapsed, in some places even ceilings had come down. At one point, it had even become necessary to aid Duo in lifting Heero through a gap between the rubble and the ceiling. It was unnerving, to say the least, that Heero, throughout the whole ordeal, did not wake nor utter a single groan.

By the time we'd managed to get to the rooftop, or at least, what was left of it, Trowa, carrying the injured Mariemaia, and the three women that had followed him had already climbed onto the Tallgeese.

"We can take Sandrock for a final spin..." Quatre murmured, gazing up at the battered suit. "After Zechs got the Tallgeese down here, the only other suit that would fit was my own. With it lacking in wings and thrusters, my suit's the smallest out of the five..." he explained.

"Everyone came down via mobile suit then?" I asked, simply curious.

There, a few hundred feet above us, was the outside world and with Heero's suit in pieces up above, I could only imagine how the man had been able to reach us.

Quatre nodded, and grasped a hold of the lift leading to his cockpit.

"That is correct... Zechs grabbed all the Preventers he could find, and brought as many of them down as possible. Our cockpits are rather small, but you can squeeze a handful of people into them, if of course you're not fighting. The suit's hands are so large you can travel that way as well, so long as you hold on tightly. I'll be just a second... I'll grab you three that way, and you can all load yourselves in. With Heero in hand, you won't get up this way, and frankly, Miss Relena, I'm not sure you yourself could get up there in this matter regardless, no offence." He smiled weakly, and slowly he began to shoot upwards.

"Yeah... I know what you're thinking..." Duo spoke up, just as Quatre reached the top. "I haven't got a damn clue myself how he did it, the crazy bastard..." He chuckled, patting Heero on the back.

I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. Within seconds, Sandrock came to life, and ever so carefully crouched down before us, reaching a hand out as a platform. Duo went first, Heero still slung over his shoulder, and pulled himself up. He gently set the other man down before hoisting me up to join him. From there, Quatre had assisted all three of us in getting ourselves situated within the small chamber.

We reached the surface in seconds after the hatch snapped shut, I barely had time to register the full view of the room's contents before the snow on spotlights appeared on the many screens. It was beautiful... and I would have enjoyed it immensely if not for the circumstances.

We did not catch up with my brother and the others in the Tallgeese, and we did not land just outside the compound as I had expected. We'd shot off across the sky, the buildings passing in waves below us. I caught Duo's expression out of the corner of my eye, and found it pointless to hide my smile. The young man was clearly amused by my appreciation of the view. Within minutes however, we'd descended directly outside of Preventer Headquarters, and there Tallgeese already sat, long since abandoned, out in front.

"We can see what has happened to the others at a later time, let's just get Heero to the emergency wing, being unresponsive worrying the shit outta me, I've NEVER seen him like this, not since Trowa carted him off and we thought he was dead..." Duo muttered, practically leaping from Sandrock's grasp as it brought us towards the ground.

Once we touched down, I shot off after him, Quatre close on my heels. Briefly, I wondered what would happen to Duo and Trowa's Gundams, left abandoned in the city, but I assumed that the Preventors would deal with them. It was only Heero's that was dangerous for others to pilot, and it was scrap now...

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Sally had admitted Heero immediately, and began tending to him at once. Mariemaia had been passed to the specialists. She lay in critical condition, but was stable at the very least. They had brought her in on time, and had pumped blood back into her system before putting her in surgery. Sally already had a DNA profile in progress, ready to confirm her lineage, or throw it to the winds. I was told Lady Une was presiding over every action, going as far as even watching the surgery.

To my displeasure, Sally had once again strapped Heero down. When I'd inquired about it this time, she'd simply said it was for the safety of the medical staff. Truthfully, I could understand... he could awake abruptly, be confused, and lash out. Still, it didn't make me comfortable, him being on a respirator didn't help things either...

Despite my stomach churning, I listened to everything that was documented, silently wondering how any human being could suffer so greatly and still be alive after it all. Perhaps one could understand if it had been a freak accident... a onetime occurrence, but we all knew Heero by now, and these things happened to him regularly.

Sally stood by as the others poked and prodded him following a body scan, clipboard in hand, jotting down the abnormalities as the men and women tended to him.

"Severe concussion, likely originating from the same blow to the frontal lobe that caused this contusion..." One droned on, lifting Heero's bangs from his face, revealing a rather nasty looking deep wound beneath.

"Very well... what of his chest?" Sally continued.

"Deep bruising from his suit restraints...right third rib fractured, fourth broken, puncturing the lung. As the bruising is more widespread on the right, I can only assume that the harness caused the breaks as well..

Sally sighed, and shook her head sadly, Duo on the other hand seemed ready to leap over the counter and strangle the man.

"Who the HELL lets their suit beat them up!" He cried, throwing his arms into the air. "Since he clearly knew Zero was trashed, he should have EJECTED himself and parachuted to safety..." he groaned, slumping against the counter.

Quatre rested a hand on his shoulder in a calming manner.

In all likeliness, Heero probably didn't have a chute within the suit... and if I understand him as well as I hope to think, he may not have intended to survive the initial explosion... the expression he had worn during that transmission told me that much, although I hate to dwell on how things would be if he hadn't survived.

Sally watched us in concern briefly, but ultimately returned to the task at hand.

"Please continue Walker..."

"Gladly Ms. Po... Mr. Yuy has sustained countless bruises elsewhere across his body. He also has a multitude of fractures and breaks throughout both arms, and legs, some new but most old... I don't understand how this man could possibly be moving around in his state..." The man seemed in awe, and I couldn't blame him.

I'd always been amazed by Heero's strength, and his pain resistance. Although the man seemed in perfect health at all times, his body was more battered at any given moment then anyone could imagine.

"That is Heero Yuy for you. He's one amazing kid." Sally chuckled, looking over his body. "Keep him sedated. Set whichever breaks can, and need to be set. Laser treat his lung, and secure the bone. We'll monitor him until he wakes... from then on out, things are up to him." She sighed, and sent a consoling smile my way.

She placed the clipboard on the front of the bed, and made her way back over towards us as the other medical staff started on Heero.

"I should give you a once over as well before attending to the rest of the guys. You were missing nearly a month you know."

My eyes widened in shock, and I couldn't help the small, shocked chuckle that escaped my throat.

"A month? It was really that long... it went by so quickly..." I muttered, shaking my head.

"Well, that's good... at the very least you don't seem too traumatized by the whole ordeal. Most people would have said they'd thought it to have been far longer. You amaze me sometimes Relena..." She laughed, walking me over to an exam table.

I smiled in return.

"I was just worried really... the things I would see, the things that poor little girl would tell me, I just knew that this would turn into a nightmare. I'm only glad that the chaos didn't last long in the end. I guess more people wanted to hold onto peace than Dekim anticipated. I was shocked to see that the civilians acted out as well." and I had been... so many people lined the streets that we had passed far above... it was inspiring.

Quatre only smiled, and took a seat on one of the empty beds.

"That was your doing, Ms. Relena. Your broadcast gave everyone hope, and the small push they needed to accept us. The people were shocked to see you support us Gundam Pilots, but accepted it all the same." he sighed, leaning back against the thin white sheets. "Dorothy helped immensely as well, she rallied the civilians, pushed them to congregate and take action."

Duo cringed, and shook his head at the blonde.

"That chick is creepy... I never know whose side she's on, and I can't understand how you can speak fondly of a woman who went medieval on your ass as and tried to kill you via a fencing match..." He muttered. "You were in the hospital for weeks..."

"I'm on no one's side but my own, Mr. Maxwell."

Duo seemed to nearly leap out of his skin, as all of us had neglected to notice the woman walk in.

"Speaking of the devil..." He huffed, straightening his jacket collar.

"Thank you Dorothy, I owe you." I smiled.

The girl only smirked and batted a hand at me.

"It was no trouble at all. I was glad to assist."

Duo only snorted.

"I half expected to see you prance in wearing that uniform. Seems unlike you not to side with family."

And at this, Dorothy burst into hysterics.

"And wear that god awful outfit! I'm not a sweet little girl scout, Maxwell. You couldn't pay me to put those gaudy things on. And as for family, that's still questionable, is it not?"

I fought back a smile as Duo and Dorothy went at with one another. Quatre, too, seemed the slightest bit amused, but Sally only seemed frustrated with all of the racket.

"Now, now you two, there's time for pointless bickering later. Doctor Sally is trying to concentrate..." The woman huffed, bringing over a thermometer, and a blood pressure band.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I'd simply lost weight, and was dehydrated after the long day with no food or water. But other than those two small details, I was in perfect health. I stood by, and watched as Sally tended to Duo and Quatre, fixing up their minor scrapes.

Duo requested an ice pack for his stomach, telling the story of how Heero had sucker punched him. Sure enough, he had a decent bruise at the site of impact. But he complained about it no more after receiving the ice-pack, but it may have had to do with Trowa appearing at last, as he'd tossed the braided man a bag of chips from the vending machine down the hall.

My stomach protested loudly as I watched him practically inhale the small bag, and was grateful when Quatre offered to retrieve something from the machine for myself as well. Quatre was sore, but there was nothing more with him thankfully. After last year's injuries, the blonde had definitely earned a break. I thanked him, and watched him bolt from the room in search of food.

Sally quickly went and tended to Trowa as well. Again, I was surprised to see that thus far, the only one really injured out of the pilots was Heero. Surprised, but grateful all the same. Like Quatre, the man was simply sore, and exhausted.

"You guys don't exactly have to stay here you know." Sally smiled. "It's Christmas eve... I'm sure you all have some place you'd rather be."

"Yeah well, that's already been taken care of for me." Duo smirked, leaning back against the wall. "Une already had Hilde flown in on a private shuttle. I'm just waiting for things to be done here before I leave. Wouldn't want to leave everyone else alone here." He chuckled.

I turned to Trowa, who had already begun slipping a clean Preventer's uniform on. The man gave a small smile and nodded slowly.

"My chosen company is also in town, thanks to you, Sally." He sighed, stretching as he stood. "Who knows what would have happened to Catherine and Manager had you not shown up and freed the civilians. I'm grateful."

"It was no problem at all. Just doing my job. I find it funny that I always seem to run into those that know you guys. Despite what people might think, you guys have connections all over it seems." She laughed. "So, are you and that woman dating, or are you strictly just co-workers that get along well?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

To be frank, I too had wondered about this. Other than Duo, none of the other pilots ever mentioned relationships. The only two I was sure about were Duo, who was even living with Hilde, and Quatre who had told me in honest conversation that he'd not had the time nor the mind set to get into a relationship.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that..." The brunette murmured, sitting back down on the table.

Duo only huffed, and snickered slightly.

"You need Sally of all people to tell you if you two are dating or not? Seriously Trowa? Sally's a medical physician, not a therapist."

Trowa shot a glare his way, and I fought back my own giggle.

"That's not it at all..." He grumbled, reaching an arm out to Sally. "I would ACTUALLY like you to draw blood, and run a DNA panel on me, comparing it to the samples you took from Catherine earlier."

I was not alone... Sally, Duo, AND Dorothy gaped at the man... as did Quatre who had evidently returned, and now stood in the doorway with half the vending machine's contents in hand.

Trowa sighed, smiling at the blonde briefly, before he continued slowly.

"You see... Catherine chose to label me as her brother, when I had suffered from amnesia. She had always been motherly to me, even before that whole fiasco. But, after things died down last year, and I returned, she flat out told me she thought of me like a brother. She had lost her parents in an air raid when she was young. Although she survived, and both of her parents were pronounced dead on the scene, her infant brother disappeared without a trace." he murmured, shaking his head sadly. "I myself, have no recollection of ever having a family. I've been alone as far back as I can remember. I grew up without a name, traveling between mercenary camps with the soldiers. I do have one small bit of possible identification... my back is scared, burned. It has also been there as far back as I can remember. Catherine and I had a long talk about our pasts... and it only seemed to further her wanting to treat me like a sibling, saying it was entirely plausible with my unknown identity, and the scar on my back. Let's find out for sure, while we're still here."

Sally raised an eyebrow, but chuckled all the same.

"If you're sure..."

"I am."

"The possibility of her being your biological sister is almost impossible, you do know this, right?" She asked, seemingly trying to reason with him.

"Yeah, I know how slim of a chance it is."

Trowa had made up his mind, and I couldn't blame him. Despite all odds, Milliardo and I had been reunited, and that had been just as slim of a chance as this.

"Very well... hold out your arm."

I turned away for this small procedure, and happily accepted some of the snacks Quatre had brought, and ate them ravenously, not caring how ungraceful my eating habits were for the time being. Quatre too ate away, seemingly averting his gaze from his friend as well for the same reasons as I. Dorothy seemed to have no problem watching however, and munched happily on a bag of kettle chips.

"All done Trowa. You can get on over to housing. Your party is staying in rooms 213-218. I'll have to ask that you stay with someone there tonight, we're so crammed full of family members rushed in, no one has individual rooms tonight. I'm sorry." She smiled weakly. "You'll have your results back some time tomorrow, after Mariemaia's results come in."

The brunette nodded, and smiled weakly at Quatre.

"You don't mind me leaving you here, do you? I hate to do so, as I know you weren't exactly planning on spending your Christmas this way, but I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere, and if things are already crammed, it's bound to be rather uncomfortable as is." He frowned, seemingly watching Quatre's facial expressions closely.

"Don't worry about me Trowa. Go enjoy yourself and get a good rest, alright? You can keep me company tomorrow, 'kay?" he smiled, waving the man off.

Trowa seemed to believe him, and smiled back at him as he passed us by.

"So, Relena... boys. You have no reason to stay here any longer, you may go where you wish. Stay in town though, Lady Une is going to want to speak to you all individually, take your statements. All that good stuff."

I frowned, and immediately turned my gaze to Heero, watching the nurses fret over him.

"I'd like to stay... if you don't mind." I murmured.

Sally gave a heavy sigh.

"I understand where you're coming from, but I'd have to clear it with Une, and find someone to watch over you. Might be a problem, considering that everyone's already been working overtime, and it's Christmas Eve." She groaned, rubbing her temples. "But it's worth a shot I suppose."

"Aww! C'mon! Let the girl stay. She's been through hell. Besides, if Heero wakes up, he's bolting, and who knows when the hell we'll see him again. Relena's presence will keep him put for the time being. Give the girl a break."

"Are you offering yourself for night duty, Duo?" The woman raised an eyebrow, and even chuckled when the color left the man's face.

"Hell no! Hilde would kick my ass. She's already been waiting for me all this time." He groaned. "You can't make me stay... she'll hang me by the braid."

"Then-" She began, only to stare behind the group.

"We'll stay the night. I have some things I'd like to speak to my sister about anyway, and Noin should hear them as well."

I smiled wide at Milliardo, and mouthed my thanks. He seemed frazzled, but overall well. Noin on the other hand, looked exhausted, but I'd never seen her happier. Duo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Zechsy. Remember to tell us that story too, at a later time of course." Duo chuckled, before jumping up off the bed. "I'm off guys, Merry Christmas! See ya all tomorrow!" He grinned, before dashing out the doors.

I watched as my brother stared after him, a curious expression on his face.

"...Zechsy?" Noin raised an eyebrow, a giggle slipping from her lips.

All at once, the few of us remaining burst into laughter, at my poor brother's expense.

"Go approve it with Une none the less. I'll be here a while longer, and then I have to be elsewhere in the building. I'll be getting home super late, poor me..." She chuckled.

The two nodded, and I watched as my brother and Ms. Noin disappeared from sight once more, wondering what he would have to tell me, and where exactly he had been for a year.

"I'm going to check on Heero over, see what they've been able to do for him thus far, I'll be just a moment." Sally alerted us, before quickly crossing the large room.

"Poor Sally, and Une for that matter. They'll be swamped for weeks.." I sighed, smiling weakly at Quatre.

"You as well... I imagine that you'll be making a public statement shortly." Quatre replied.

"After the little stunt you pulled, supporting the Gundam Pilotss, telling the people to accept them, even help them, there's bound to be some uproar, despite how much it helped. Don't worry Ms. Relena, I'll support you all the way." Dorothy smiled, she too standing from the bed at last.

"I suppose you're both right, as much as I hate to think about it at the moment. I'm likely extraordinarily backed up in the office as well, what with my absence...It's going to be a rough next few months." I groaned, hanging my head in my hands.

Quatre seemed to share my pain, and slumped his shoulders.

Sensing the deteriorating mood of the room, Dorothy spun herself around, her platinum blonde hair cascading around her before she faced Quatre full on.

"Well then, Quatre? Would you like to stay with me? My home isn't so very far from here, and there's more than enough room for you." Dorothy smiled at the blonde, stepping around him. "Your stay on Earth obviously wasn't planned, with this mess of a battle going on. Besides, no one should be alone on Christmas, no matter what the situation How about it?" She giggled, grabbing a hold of the young man's sleeve.

Quatre only sighed, and smiled warmly at her.

"No, I couldn't possibly impose on you like that..." he shook his head sadly. "Although this was definitely unplanned, it's not as though I'm without shelter. I'll simply just locate the Maganacs and stay with them until further notice. They wouldn't mind in the slightest. They'd probably be thrilled to have me over the holidays."

To his surprise, Dorothy's shoulders slumped, and she stepped closer to him, a firm grip still on his shirt.

"Who says I was worried about YOU being alone?" She murmured, tilting her side to the side. "Alas... I've let my staff go home for the holidays, and as of last year, the remainder of my family has passed. The last remnants of anything close to family lay in one of those hospital beds with a bullet through her chest, and her future uncertain." She sighed, releasing him as she stretched her arms into the air.

Quatre seemed speechless. I had to admit, I was as well. Dorothy admitting loneliness seemed foreign to me even... but it seemed to grip tightly at Quatre's heart strings.

"Very well...If you're willing to offer me a warm bed, who am I to turn your hospitality down? You're right, Christmas shouldn't be spent alone. Let's have a nice dinner, alright?" He beamed at her.

I watched her face morph from its sad pout back to her original smirk, and couldn't help but shake my head at the two. Although they were awkward together, let alone apart, they did seem to fit, even though Dorothy was always a questionable person.

"Then let's depart... I'm sure Milliardo will want to speak to Relena and Noin alone, let's not crowd them..."

I watched them leave, and hoped that my brother and Ms. Noin returned. I couldn't bring myself to look across the room at Heero again, not while I knew they would be working on his lung by now. I suspect that the aforementioned event was the true reason why Sally had left the group.

For now, all I could do is stand by and wait...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter two, complete.

Chapter 3 shall come soon, and we'll move away from Relena's POV for the time being.

Feedback is appreciated!


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